THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thank you all for being here. I
just finished a meeting in the Oval Office with a group of distinguished
lawyers, many of whom come from different backgrounds, and they've got a
wide range of political views. They share two things in common: They all
clerked for Judge Sam Alito; and they strongly support his nomination to be
an associate justice to the Supreme Court.

The relationship between a judge and a law clerk is extremely close. Each
judge has only three or four clerks a year, and these clerks serve as the
judge's aides and advisors. They provide legal research, they discuss and
debate pending cases, and they see firsthand how the judge arrives at
decisions.

These fine men and women with me today have worked side by side with Sam
Alito, and they are uniquely qualified to assess what kind of Supreme Court
Justice he would be. As the full Senate takes up Judge Alito's nomination,
it is important for the American people to hear what his former clerks say
about this fine judge and his approach to the law.

One of the clerks I met today who describes himself as a Democrat said this
about Judge Alito: "He is meticulous in the way he goes about deciding
cases. He's meticulous in the way he goes about finding what the law is.
I can't think of better qualities for anyone to serve as a judge on the
Supreme Court."

Another former clerk here today says this: "I am a Democrat who always
voted Democrat, except when I vote for a Green candidate . . . but Judge
Alito was not interested in the ideology of his clerks. He didn't decide
cases based on ideology."

Another former clerk who described himself as a proud member of the NAACP
and the ACLU says, "After a year of working closely with the Judge on cases
concerning a wide variety of legal issues, I left New Jersey not knowing
Judge Alito's personal beliefs on any of them."

Another former clerk who describes herself as a "left-leaning Democrat"
told the Senate this about Sam Alito: "He's a man of great decency,
integrity and character. I believe very strongly he deserves to be
confirmed as the Court's next associate justice."

Another of Judge Alito's former clerks worked for Senator Kerry's
presidential campaign. She said this about Judge Alito: "I learned in my
year with Judge Alito that his approach to judging is not about personal
ideology or ambition, but about hard work and devotion to law and justice."

In case you were wondering, Judge Alito has also the support of Republican
clerks. (Laughter.) In fact, he has the strong support of all 54 of his
former clerks, regardless of their political beliefs. Judge Alito has
earned broad support from his fellow judges on the 3rd Circuit. Seven of
them took the extraordinary step of testifying on his behalf before the
Senate Judiciary Committee.

Former Chief Judge Ed Becker, who sat with Judge Alito on more than 1,000
cases, said this about his colleague: "I have never seen a chink in the
armor of his integrity, which I view as total. He is a real judge deciding
each case on the facts and the law, not his personal views, whatever they
may be."

Another colleague on the 3rd Circuit who was appointed by President Clinton
said this about Judge Alito: "He is a fair-minded man, a modest man, a
humble man, and he reveres the rule of law." The judge went on to say, "If
confirmed, Judge Sam Alito will serve as a marvelous and distinguished
associate justice."

All these brilliant legal minds are united in their strong support of Sam
Alito. And in his confirmation hearings, the American people saw why.
Judge Alito is open-minded and principled. He gives every case careful
attention, and he makes decisions based on the merits. Judge Alito
understands that the role of a judge is to interpret the law, not to
advance a personal or political agenda. Judge Alito is a man of character
and integrity. Judge Alito will bring to the Supreme Court a broad range
of experience and accomplishment.

Before he became a judge, Sam Alito served as a federal prosecutor,
assistant to the Solicitor General, where he argued 12 cases before the
Supreme Court; an attorney in the Justice Department's Office of Legal
Counsel; and a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey -- the top
federal prosecutor in one of the nation's largest federal districts.

In 1990, Sam Alito was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to serve on the
United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. He now has more prior
judicial experience than any Supreme Court nominee in more than 70 years.
The American Bar Association gave Judge Sam Alito its highest possible
rating, a unanimous well-qualified. It based its rating on its assessment
of his integrity, professional competence and judicial temperament.

In the past, leading Democratic senators have called the ABA's rating the
gold standard for judicial nominees. Yesterday, Ed Rendell, the Democratic
Governor of Pennsylvania and former Chairman of the Democratic National
Committee, came out in support of Judge Sam Alito. Governor Rendell said
he was not pleased with the way his fellow Democrats have handled Sam
Alito's nomination, and said that Democrats should vote to confirm him.
Governor Rendell put it this way: "As long as a Supreme Court Justice has
high academic qualifications and significant integrity -- and Judge Alito
certainly does -- we should confirm him."

There's no doubt about Judge Alito's qualifications, his intellect, or his
complete dedication to our Constitution and laws. He is exactly the kind
of person Americans want on the Supreme Court.

The Senate has a constitutional responsibility to give every judicial
nominee an up or down vote. In its 216 year history, the Senate has held
an up or down vote on every Supreme Court nominee with a majority of Senate
support. And I call on the United States Senate to put partisanship aside
and give Judge Alito the up or down vote he deserves and to confirm him as
the next associate justice of the Supreme Court.

I'm grateful to Judge Alito. And I appreciate his wonderful wife, Martha,
and their children for their dignity throughout the confirmation process.
America is fortunate that this good, humble man is willing to serve, and
all of us look forward to seeing him take a seat on our nation's highest
court.